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Like land, knowledge is a resource that Indigenous Peoples have historically valued, but have not necessarily owned. Because international corporations make claims on indigenous lands, however, the question of ownership is very important. The same is true for knowledge. Indigenous Peoples are beginning to claim Intellectual Property Rights to protect themselves from the theft of their knowledge. Overview Focus: Maori Schools Project: Role Play Debate Project: Role Play Debate Points of View There are many different perspectives on the meaning of Indigenous Knowledge. In this activity, you will work with a team to explore these different perspectives and see how they may agree or disagree. Each member of your team should act out a different perspective. Some web resources are listed below to help you create and define your perspective. You can also find your own resources on indigenous knowledge. Finding Your Role Take some time to review the sources below. Make notes about the perspective you will role play, i.e. the point of view you will represent. Think how others might perceive your ideas. Then, prepare a list of key ideas you would like to share with your team. Playing After you have prepared, join your team and explore together the following questions: How are Indigenous Peoples described in your sources? What kinds of knowledge is "indigenous knowledge"? Who has a right to knowledge? Is there a human right to indigenous knowledge? What are the functions of indigenous knowledge? What does it help people to do? Who controls the uses of indigenous knowledge? Should Indigenous Peoples be granted Intellectual Property Rights for their knowledge? Why or Why not? Next, discuss your responses to these questions. Remember to state your perspective clearly. (For instance… Let your team know if you are speaking on behalf of an Indigenous population or if you are expressing the perspective of the World Bank). Finally, reflect on the discussion. Return to being a regular student (outside of your role or the perspective you took) and ask within your group: Did you all agree? Disagree? What did you learn about indigenous knowledge? Sources Local Indigenous perspective http://nativeintelligence.com/wisdom/index.asp http://www.unii.net/confeniae/english/unidae/ http://www.usask.ca/nativelaw/ddir.html (especially Articles 29, 30) Corporate and Eco-Tourist perspective http://www.rain-tree.com/ http://www.walksoftlytours.com/ http://www.amazonasvenezuela.com/principal-eco.htm http://life.csu.edu.au/ecotour/ecowwwhz.html (article about ecotourism and indigenous peoples) International Non-Governmental Organization perspective http://www.nuffic.nl/ik-pages/index.html (Netherlands) http://www.ethnobotany.org/actnew/shaman.html (Amazon Conservation Team) United Nations and related perspective http://www.wipo.int/traditionalknowledge/introduction/index.html http://www.worldbank.org/afr/ik/basic.htm http://www.undp.org/csopp/CSO/NewFiles/dociknowledge.html http://www.unesco.org/most/bpikreg.htm Back to the Overview

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